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Especially for faraway destinations requiring long-haul flights, in-air comfort can largely affect the overall quality of a travel experience. When selecting a ticket, it's worth familiarizing yourself with the specific amenities of business and economy class seats for the airline you choose. Depending on the carrier, factors including price, seat size and on-board services can vary tremendously between the two classes.

Legroom and Reclining

For many fliers, "Inside Flyer" magazine reports, space is the primary motivation for choosing business instead of economy class seats. According to the magazine's 2006 article comparing the two classes, business class seats let passengers recline an extra 8 inches. However, the amount of extra room in business class varies widely among airlines and is subject to continuous remodeling with new airplanes and regular redesigns and renovations. In 2000, British Airways extended its "sleeper bed" seats to the business class section of international flights, as well as the first class section, and over the following decade, other airlines followed suit. The variety in seat arrangement among airlines is reflected at the level of airplane manufacture. As of time of publication, Airbus began offering six configurations for business class seating areas in its Airbus 350 planes, as well as the option for airlines to customize designs.

In-Flight and On-Ground Amenities

In addition to extra space, business class travelers typically receive various perks on-board and in the airport. In some cases, business travelers are given access to exclusive lounge areas of the airport, where they may receive snacks or even massages. Business class passengers may receive priority boarding and, depending on the plane layout, may deplane before the rest of the economy class passengers. Other in-flight perks may include personal television monitors, power adapters for laptops, Internet access, more generous luggage allowances or better snacks and meals.

Mileage Accrual and Redemption

For frequent air travelers, the decision between business and economy class can also affect point- or mileage-based frequent flier programs. Often airlines reward business class passengers with 125 percent to 200 percent more points or miles, compared with economy class passengers flying the same route. In most frequent flier programs, miles may also be redeemed for an upgrade from economy class to business class or, in some cases, redeemed piecemeal for discrete business class perks. If you're already planning to use miles to pay for a flight, "Inside Flyer" magazine estimates that the switch from economy to business class on average requires about 50 percent more miles for the same trip.

Pricing

Naturally, with the perks of flying business instead of economy class, the difference in price is typically substantial. Though pricing varies tremendously by airline, route and even day of the week, The Travel Insider estimates the average business class seat on a trans-Atlantic flight costing almost 10 times that of an economy seat on the same plane. According to the same report, published in 2006 and updated in 2011, business class typically accounts for the lion's share of an airline's income on a given flight, with far more seats per plane than in first class. Given the economic advantage of attracting business class passengers, airlines have ample incentive to entice potential passengers with ever-increasing business class benefits.

Alternative Configurations

Since 1979, when Qantas introduced business class as an alternative to first class or economy, the concept of business class has taken several forms. In 1992, Virgin Atlantic introduced a fourth level of service with premium economy, and British Airways eventually joined the four-class system with a premium economy class. Singapore Airlines operates all-business-class planes for select routes. JetBlue, generally a budget-minded carrier, offers "Even More Space" seats that provide as much leg room as many domestic first-class seats, winning the airline the title of "best overall product in the air" on JD Power's 2012 customer satisfaction surveys. Southwest Airlines doesn't feature a separate business section, but does allow "Business Select" passengers to board first, picking their own seats.

About the Author

Danielle Hill has been writing, editing and translating since 2005. She has contributed to "Globe Pequot" Barcelona travel guide, "Gulfshore Business Magazine," "Connecting Lines: New Poetry from Mexico" and "The Barcelona Review." She has trained in neuro-linguistic programming and holds a Bachelor of Arts in comparative literature and literary translation from Brown University.

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